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Poisoned Prairie Dogs

Martin S

For you people that are going to NE. prairie dog shooting....Here's a heads up. I just got this e-mail from a friend in Lincoln NE.

WELL I made it back, that is the good news. The bad news is this. the land we thought he owned he only rented and it got poisoned 2 months ago along with most of the ranch land out that way. We went south and east from Holdredge to the Kansas border and then back North and west to Atlanta stopped and asked in most of the few places we did find Dogs only to be turned away. We only found 2 good towns and 4-5 very small ones We shot 2 dogs between 3 of us all day . The weather was 46 and cloudy with 20 plus mph winds. Yes I am very discouraged. I guess the reason for all the poisonings is because the EPA changed the rules about handling the poison and soon/now you have to be Certified to buy/ handle it, so the farmers got it done before the change went into effect. We may or probably will find some places to shoot but I really doubt if I can make anything work by June 11 I have some other possibilities in some other areas but I haven't seen them this year and they may have been poisoned as well.We looked at 90-100 dog towns today and only found 2 good ones. The one guy had a 3/4 section of them and he said "I don't want anybody shooting at them because I don't want them to spread". There wasn't any point in arguing with him because I don't believe he could understand the truth. We do have a couple of slim shots at some dog towns but I wouldn't bet the farm.I'm sorry I tried and I will continue to work on it but I never guessed I would see that kind of wide spread poisoning
 
Oh my. Tell me I didn't read that.

Heading to Wyoming from here in Tampa mid-June. Hope what you reported is not widespread. Man it could be a long, expensive way from here to there alone for nothing.
 
You might call or e-mail the BOLM or some town close to where you were going and ask them. I agree it Sucks big time. It put my trip on hold.
Martin S
 
Well my prairie dog shoot is off. I just got an e-mail from my friend in Neb. and he said his places to shoot were poisoned too. I guess the poisoning is wide spread in Neb. and SD.

Martin S
 
Not good, I was planning a trip out to SD this summer and i talked to my guy where we hunt and he said the same thing about the Rosebud, poisoning was rampant. So almost the only choices are go with a guide with references to stay out of trouble and pay an arm and a leg. And most if not all these guide services are booked the entire year.

Frank
 
Prairie Dog population is way down in the area I live in the western part of Nebraska. Plague and poison has wiped out whole towns where I had shot them.
 
They should outlaw the poisoning because there are some species of prarie dogs that are protected due to possible extinction.What a shame.
 
Look you guys, I've spent many an enjoyable afternoon shooting PDs myself. But to say the govt. should outlaw poisoning them is asinine. PDs - if left un-checked - will totally ruin a pasture. How's the landowner supposed to make living off the land that he pays property taxes on if it's no good for grazing livestock? What about the landowner's rights? Do you think recreational varmint shooting trumps the landowner's right to make a living? Put yourselves in our position before you make more statements about what we should or shouldn't be allowed to do to maintain our own property.
 
Of course you are right flatlander! I think it's we are depressed that we have planned a shoot for so many months and then left with no place to shoot. The land owners have a right to do with their land as they wish.

Martin
 
Martin,
I feel your pain on the lost trip - don't get me wrong, I'd love to be loading ammo in anticipation of a week of PD hunting myself. But sometimes folks tend to get a bit out of touch with the reality of making a living off the land. And the influence the tree-huggers have over individual property rights is downright frightening to many of us who are fourth or fifth generation ranchers/farmers.
 
flatlander,
Your right I wasn't looking at it with your view. The tree huggers have way to much power. As I understand it Osha passed a ruling that after the first of the year the land owners have to be certified to buy and use the poison. That's why a lot of the land owners poisoned this year before that goes into affect. I don't know this to be a fact. It's just what I was told.
Martin

PS..I haven't give up on going yet. It may cost me more though.
 
The tree huggers are the party most responsible for the extensive poisoning of prairie dogs in the last couple of years. They have been petitioning the USFWS to put all pd species on the endangered list. Private landowners got wind of their efforts and took action to rid themselves of the pests while they still could legally, resulting in the heavy poisoning recently. Kind of like what Obama did for firearm sales after his election, just a knee-jerk reaction from those most likely to be adversely affected by new legislation infringing on their rights.
 
My main concern about poisoning is other animals eating it.But maybe it is not an issue. I realize it is your land and you are trying to make a living off your pastures.I just wonder how safe is poison around grazing animals.
 
The common pesticides for prairie dogs are all restricted use, need an applicators permit to buy, and must follow the label when applying or face fines/jail. Believe me, the nature nuts have seen to it. If they can get the poisons banned, shooting will more than likely go as well. Be real careful what you wish for. Also be aware that there are people on this site that never post but do take note of what is being posted and by whom. Might make a difference to them on who they let shoot on their dog towns. As for grazing animals, when the label is followed and common sense is used there is no chance of livestock getting into the toxicants. The folks that have the ground and livestock also have the sense to use the proper precautions when managing their livelihoods.
 
I live in southwest Nebraska, 5 years ago I could shoot prairie dogs all day long, and not drive 10 miles. Today I have 1 prairie dog town to shoot when there was 10,years ago. The neighbors poisoned them. I understand the ranchers point of view, but leave a few for seed.
 
Martin S said:
For you people that are going to NE. prairie dog shooting....Here's a heads up. I just got this e-mail from a friend in Lincoln NE.

WELL I made it back, that is the good news. The bad news is this. the land we thought he owned he only rented and it got poisoned 2 months ago along with most of the ranch land out that way. We went south and east from Holdredge to the Kansas border and then back North and west to Atlanta stopped and asked in most of the few places we did find Dogs only to be turned away. We only found 2 good towns and 4-5 very small ones We shot 2 dogs between 3 of us all day . The weather was 46 and cloudy with 20 plus mph winds. Yes I am very discouraged. I guess the reason for all the poisonings is because the EPA changed the rules about handling the poison and soon/now you have to be Certified to buy/ handle it, so the farmers got it done before the change went into effect. We may or probably will find some places to shoot but I really doubt if I can make anything work by June 11 I have some other possibilities in some other areas but I haven't seen them this year and they may have been poisoned as well.We looked at 90-100 dog towns today and only found 2 good ones. The one guy had a 3/4 section of them and he said "I don't want anybody shooting at them because I don't want them to spread". There wasn't any point in arguing with him because I don't believe he could understand the truth. We do have a couple of slim shots at some dog towns but I wouldn't bet the farm.I'm sorry I tried and I will continue to work on it but I never guessed I would see that kind of wide spread poisoning
Click to expand...

Sad to read. I've experienced similar problems hunting PD's in Nebraska before. That's why we spend most of our time hunting elsewhere. I noted the weather report given was cold and windy. That makes for tough hunting too. The best hunting I've found is usually above 70 degrees and sunny. The wind factor doesn't seem to matter.
 
Guys, you can start with the county extension agent in the county that you intend to shoot, they know of where the poisoning is going on.

In some county's, they have weed control agents that keep track of the poisioning.

I fought to stay in front of the posion for many years, no telling what the envioromental impact the poison has from hawks, eagles to coyotes.
 
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